NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1968-118A Description This spacecraft was the first of the Apollo series to successfully orbit the moon, and the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the Moon. The mission achieved operational experience and tested the Apollo command module systems, including communications, tracking, and life-support, in cis-lunar space and lunar orbit, and allowed evaluation of crew performance on a lunar orbiting mission. The crew photographed the lunar surface, both farside and nearside, obtaining information on topography and landmarks as well as other scientific information necessary for future Apollo landings. Additionally, six live television transmission sessions were done by the crew during the mission, including the famous Christmas Eve broadcast in which the astronauts read from the book of Genesis. All systems operated within allowable parameters and all objectives of the mission were achieved. The flight carried a three man crew: Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell, Jr., and Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders.

The Apollo 8 spacecraft consisted of a command module similar to Apollo 7 except that the forward pressure and ablative hatches were replaced by a combined forward hatch, which would be used for transfer to the Lunar Module on later missions. The spacecraft mass of 28,817 kg is the mass of the CSM including propellants and expendables. A Lunar Module was not used on the Apollo 8 mission but a Lunar Module Test Article which was equivalent in mass (9027 kg) to a Lunar Module was mounted in the spacecraft/launch vehicle adapter as ballast for mass loading purposes. The spacecraft was launched on December 21, 1968 at 12:51:00 UT (7:51 a.m. EST), and was placed in a 190.6 km x 183.2 km Earth parking orbit with a period of 88.2 minutes and an inclination of 32.51 degrees. At 15:41:37 UT a third-stage burn injected the Apollo spacecraft into translunar trajectory.

Orbit insertion took place on 24 December at 09:59:20 UT into an elliptical 310.6 km by 111.2 km lunar orbit. Two orbits later a second burn placed Apollo 8 into a near-circular 110.4 by 112.3 km orbit for eight orbits. The transearth injection burn took place on 25 December at 06:10:16 UT after a total of 10 lunar orbits. Apollo 8 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 27 December 1968 at 15:51:42 UT (10:51:42 a.m. EST) after a mission elapsed time of 147 hrs, 0 mins, 42 secs. The splashdown point was 8 deg 7.5 min N, 165 deg 1.2 min W, 1,000 miles SSW of Hawaii and 5 km (3 mi) from the recovery ship USS Yorktown. The Apollo 8 Command Module is on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois.

The Apollo program included a large number of uncrewed test missions and 12 crewed missions: three Earth orbiting missions (Apollo 7, 9 and Apollo-Soyuz), two lunar orbiting missions (Apollo 8 and 10), a lunar swingby (Apollo 13), and six Moon landing missions (Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17). Two astronauts from each of these six missions walked on the Moon (Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, Charles Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Gene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt), the only humans to have set foot on another solar system body. Total funding for the Apollo program was approximately $20,443,600,000.

Alternate Names Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States Mass: 28817.0 kg NASA-Office of Manned Space Flight (United States) Disciplines Manned Missions First humans to leave Earth orbit First human landing on the Moon Apollo 1 January 27, 1967 Crew: Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, Edward H. White II, Roger B. Chaffee On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck the Apollo program, nearly derailing the goal of landing an American on the Moon by the end of the decade. A fire took place on the launch pad during a preflight test for Apollo 1 (AS-204), which was scheduled to be the first Apollo manned mission, and would have been launched on February 21, 1967. Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the Command Module (CM). The exhaustive investigation of the fire and extensive reworking of the CMs postponed any manned launch until NASA officials cleared the CM for manned flight.

Saturn IB schedules were suspended for nearly a year, and the launch vehicle that finally bore the designation AS-204 carried a Lunar Module (LM) as the payload, not the Apollo CM. The missions of AS-201 and AS-202 with Apollo spacecraft aboard had been unofficially known as Apollo 1 and Apollo 2 missions (AS-203 carried only the aerodynamic nose cone). In the spring of 1967, NASA's Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, Dr. George E. Mueller, announced that the mission originally scheduled for Grissom, White, and Chaffee would be known as Apollo 1, and said that the first Saturn V launch, scheduled for November 1967, would be known as Apollo 4. The eventual launch of AS-204 became known as the Apollo 5 mission (no missions or flights were ever designated Apollo 2 and 3). The second launch of a Saturn V took place on schedule in the early morning of April 4, 1968.

Known as AS-502, or Apollo 6, the flight was a success, though two first-stage engines shut down prematurely, and the third-stage engine failed to re-ignite after reaching orbit. October 11-22, 1968 Crew: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F. Eisele, Walter Cunningham Apollo 7 was a confidence-builder. After the January 1967 Apollo launch pad fire, the Apollo Command Module had been extensively redesigned. Schirra, the only astronaut to fly Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, commanded this Earth-orbital shakedown of the Command and Service Modules. With no lunar lander, Apollo 7 was able to use the Saturn IB booster rather than the giant Saturn V. The Apollo hardware and all mission operations worked without any significant problems, and the Service Propulsion System (SPS)ï¿½the all-important engine that would place Apollo in and out of lunar orbitï¿½made eight nearly perfect firings. Even though Apolloï¿½s larger cabin was more comfortable than Geminiï¿½s, eleven days in orbit took its toll on the astronauts. The food was bad, and all three developed colds.

But their mission proved the spaceworthiness of the basic Apollo vehicle. December 21-27, 1968 Crew: Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., William A. Anders The Apollo 8 astronauts were the first human beings to venture beyond low-Earth orbit and visit another world. What was originally to have been an Earth-orbit checkout of the lunar lander became instead a race with the Soviets to become the first nation to orbit the Moon. The Apollo 8 crew rode inside the Command Module, with no lunar lander attached. They were the first astronauts to be launched by the Saturn V, which had flown only twice before. The booster worked perfectly, as did the SPS engines that had been checked out on Apollo 7. Apollo 8 entered lunar orbit on the morning of December 24, 1968. For the next 20 hours, the astronauts circled the Moon, which appeared out their windows as a gray, battered wasteland. They took photographs, scouted future landing sites, and on Christmas Eve read from the Book of Genesis to TV viewers back on Earth. They also photographed the first Earthrise as seen from the Moon.

Apollo 8 proved the ability to navigate to and from the Moon, and gave a tremendous boost to the entire Apollo program. March 3-13, 1969 Crew: James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, Russell L. Schweickart Apollo 9 was the first space test of the third critical piece of Apollo hardwareï¿½the lunar module. For ten days, the astronauts put all three Apollo vehicles through their paces in Earth orbit, undocking and then redocking the lunar lander with the Command Module, just as they would in lunar orbit. For this and all subsequent Apollo flights, the crews were allowed to name their own spacecraft. The gangly lunar module was "Spider," the command module "Gumdrop." Schweickart and Scott performed a spacewalk, and Schweickart checked out the new Apollo spacesuit, the first to have its own life support system rather than being dependent on an umbilical connection to the spacecraft. Apollo 9 gave proof that the Apollo machines were up to the task of orbital rendezvous and docking. May 18-26, 1969 Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, Eugene A.

Cernan This dress rehearsal for a Moon landing brought Stafford and Cernanï¿½s Lunar Module (LM)nicknamed "Snoopy"to within nine miles of the lunar surface. Except for that final stretch, the mission went exactly as a landing would have, both in space and on the ground, where Apollos extensive tracking and control network was put through a dry run. Shortly after leaving low Earth orbit, the LM and the Command/Service Module separated, then redocked, top to top. Upon reaching lunar orbit, they separated again. While Young orbited the Moon alone in his Command Module "Charlie Brown," Stafford and Cernan checked out the LMs radar and ascent engine, rode out a momentary gyration in the lunar landerï¿½s motion (due to a faulty switch setting), and surveyed the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility. This test article of the LM was not equipped to land, however. Apollo 10 also added another firstbroadcasting live color TV from space. July 16-24, 1969 Crew: Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E.

"Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. Half of Apollos primary goalï¿½a safe returnï¿½was achieved at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 20, when Armstrong piloted "Eagle" to a touchdown on the Moon, with less than 30 seconds worth of fuel left in the Lunar Module. Six hours later, Armstrong took his famous "one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin joined him, and the two spent two-and-a-half hours drilling core samples, photographing what they saw, and collecting rocks. After more than 21 hours on the lunar surface, they returned to Collins on board "Columbia," bringing 20.87 kilograms of lunar samples with them. The two Moon-walkers had left behind scientific instruments, an American flag, and other mementos, including a plaque bearing the inscription: "Here Men From Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon The Moon. July 1969 A.D. We Came In Peace For All Mankind." November 14-24, 1969 Crew: Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr., Alan L.

Bean The second lunar landing was an exercise in precision targeting. The descent was automatic, with only a few manual corrections by Conrad. The landing, in the Ocean of Storms, brought the Lunar Module "Intrepid" within walking distance182.88 metersof a robot spacecraft that had touched down there two-and-a-half years earlier. Conrad and Bean brought pieces of the Surveyor 3 back to Earth for analysis, and took two Moon-walks lasting just under four hours each. They collected rocks and set up experiments that measured the Moonï¿½s seismicity, solar wind flux, and magnetic field. Meanwhile Gordon, on board the "Yankee Clipper" in lunar orbit, took multispectral photographs of the surface. The crew stayed an extra day in lunar orbit taking photographs. When "Intrepidï¿½s" ascent stage was dropped onto the Moon after Conrad and Bean rejoined Gordon in orbit, the seismometers the astronauts had left on the lunar surface registered the vibrations for more than an hour. April 11-17, 1970 Crew: James A. Lovell, Jr., Fred W. Haise, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr.

The crewï¿½s understated radio message to Mission Control was "Okay, Houston, weï¿½ve had a problem here." Within 321,860 kilometers of Earth, an oxygen tank in the Service Module exploded. The only solution was for the crew to abort their planned landing, swing around the Moon, and return on a trajectory back to Earth. Because their command module "Odyssey" was almost completely dead, however, the three astronauts had to use the Lunar Module "Aquarius" as a crowded lifeboat for the return home. The four-day return trip was cold, uncomfortable, and tense. But Apollo 13 proved the programï¿½s ability to weather a major crisis and bring the crew back home safely. January 31-February 9, 1971 Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, Edgar D. Mitchell After landing in the Fra Mauro regionï¿½the original destination for Apollo 13ï¿½Shepard and Mitchell took two Moon-walks, adding new seismic studies to the by-now familiar Apollo experiment package, and using a "lunar rickshaw" pull-cart to carry their equipment.

A planned rock-collecting trip to the 1,000-foot-wide Cone Crater was dropped, however, when the astronauts had trouble finding their way around the lunar surface. Although later estimates showed that they had made it to within 30.48 meters of the craters rim, the explorers had become disoriented in the alien landscape. Roosa, meanwhile, took pictures from on board the Command Module "Kitty Hawk" in lunar orbit. On the way back to Earth, the crew conducted the first U.S. materials processing experiments in space. The Apollo 14 astronauts were the last lunar explorers to be quarantined on their return from the Moon. July 26-August 7, 1971 Crew: David R. Scott, James B. Irwin, Alfred M. Worden The first of the longer, expedition-style lunar landing missions was also the first to include the lunar rover, a carlike vehicle that extended the astronautsï¿½ range. The Lunar Module "Falcon" touched down near the sinuous channel known as Hadley Rille.

Scott and Irwin rode more than 27.36 kilometers in their rover, and had a free hand in their geological field studies compared to earlier lunar astronauts. They brought back one of the prize trophies of the Apollo programï¿½a sample of ancient lunar crust nicknamed the "Genesis Rock." Apollo 15 also launched a small subsatellite for measuring particles and fields in the lunar vicinity. On the way back to Earth, Worden, who had flown solo on board "Endeavor" while his crewmates walked on the surface, conducted the first spacewalk between Earth and the Moon to retrieve film from the side of the spacecraft. April 16-27, 1972 Crew: John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II, Charles M. Duke, Jr. A malfunction in the main propulsion system of the Lunar Module "Orion" nearly caused their Moon landing to be scrubbed, but Young and Duke ultimately spent three days exploring the Descartes highland region, while Mattingly circled overhead in "Casper." What was thought to have been a region of volcanism turned out not to be, based on the astronautsï¿½ discoveries.

Their collection of returned specimens included a 11.34-kilogram chunk that was the largest single rock returned by the Apollo astronauts. The Apollo 16 astronauts also conducted performance tests with the lunar rover, at one time getting up to a top speed of 17.70 kilometers per hour. December 7-19, 1972 Crew: Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt At the end of this last Apollo mission Eugene Cernan earned the distinction of becoming the last human to stand on the Moon -- so far. While Ronald Evans circled in America, Jack Schmitt and Cernan collected a record 108.86 kilograms of rocks during three Moon-walks. The crew roamed for 33.80 kilometers through the Taurus-Littrow valley in their rover, discovered orange-colored soil, and left behind a plaque attached to their lander "Challenger," which read: "Here Man completed his first exploration of the Moon, December 1972 A.D. May the spirit of peace in which we came be reflected in the lives of all mankind." The Apollo lunar program had ended.

Human Space Flight (HSF) - Apollo History 6 days, 3 hours, 0 min., 42 seconds Apollo 8 was the second human flight in the program and the first human lunar orbit mission. It was the first manned flight using a Saturn V launch vehicle. Astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr. and William A. Anders became the first humans to see the far side of the Moon. The mission achieved operational experience and tested the Apollo Command Module systems, including communications, tracking and life-support, in cislunar space and lunar orbit, and allowed evaluation of crew performance on a lunar orbiting mission. The crew photographed the lunar surface, both farside and nearside, obtaining information on topography and landmarks as well as other scientific information necessary for future Apollo landings. The Apollo 8 spacecraft consisted of a Command Module similar to Apollo 7 except that the forward pressure and ablative hatches were replaced by a combined forward hatch, which would be used for transfer to the Lunar Module on later missions. The spacecraft mass of 28,817 kilograms (63,531 pounds) is the mass of the Command and Service Module, including propellants and expendables.

A Lunar Module was not used on the Apollo 8 mission, but a Lunar Module Test Article which was equivalent in mass -- 9,027 kilograms (19,901 pounds) -- to a Lunar Module was mounted in the spacecraft/launch vehicle adapter as ballast for mass loading purposes. The Missions Apollo 8 Mission – Spacecraft Launch, Astronauts & Crew of Apollo 5 – PlanetFacts.org The Moon Apollo 8 – First Lunar Orbit On December 21, 1968, just a few months after the launching of Apollo 7, space mission Apollo 8 followed and became the first manned spaceflight that reached the moon’s orbit and landed back to earth successfully. Its crew consisted of Frank Borman as the commander, James Lovell as the navigator, and William Anders as the flight engineer. They were the first people to witness the far side of the moon with their naked eyes while onboard the spacecraft. Since they actually left the orbit of the earth, they were also considered the first people to catch a glimpse of earth from outside its orbit. It became the second manned space flight in the Apollo Space Program after Apollo 7.

Its mission was to conduct the first ever lunar travel about the moon’s orbit. It was a tall order and it meant that certain adjustments and training should be done for the spacecraft’s extraordinary flight. Because of the delay in the fabrication of a new lunar module, the command and service module was incorporated instead into Apollo 8 but at that time it was programmed to go all the way to the moon, even possibly entering its orbit. Back then, they feared that the Soviets had come up with a way to circumnavigate the moon and probably even land on it first. For this reason, Apollo 8’s flight was scheduled early without even waiting for the lunar model to be installed. Indeed, the mission truly sped up the possibility of lunar landing before the decade ended. The severe oscillations that caused the downfall of Apollo 6 were taken into consideration for this mission. Helium gas was directed towards the feed lines and other cavities to dampen the vibrations and absorb the shocks. The other failure in Apollo 6 was the shutting down of two (out of the five) rocket engines. The malfunction was traced to leaking hydrogen fuel line which ruptured upon contact with vacuum.

As a solution, the design of igniter lines and fuel conduits were modified to prevent their exposure to vacuum from happening again. It took three days for the crew to travel to the moon. They orbited ten times in the span of 20 hours during Christmas Eve. When the spacecraft came out from behind the moon on its fourth pass, the crew witnessed earthrise for the first time in human history. It had perhaps the highest media coverage compared to its preceding Apollo missions. The crew landed back on earthy safely on December 27 of that year and became Time Magazine’s Men of the Year for 1968. Apollo 8 – Launch & Orbit First Manned Orbit of the Moon Missions - The Apollo 8 Mission Timeline of the First Manned Orbit Apollo 8 was launched on December 21, 1968 aboard a three-stage Saturn V . The craft first entered LEO and then made the trek to the Moon. It took three days to make the voyage to lunar orbit. Once there, the crew circled the satellite for 20 hours, making three cycles around the Moon. During this time, the crew observed Christmas Eve from space, even reading verses from the Book of Genesis on a live television broadcast.

Once the vehicle returned to Earth, the crew spent two and a half days in orbit before finally making reentry. They splashed down in the Pacific on December 27, ending the first manned orbit of moon missions and beginning the long run of Apollo successes. Above right: Earthrise. (Supplied by NASA; Public Domain; slide 3 of 6 Near Disasters for Apollo 8 Apollo 8 was faced with a number of challenges during its voyage to the Moon. The mission itself quickly fell behind schedule after takeoff. By hour seven, it was nearly two hours delayed, forcing the ship to partake in maneuvers to prevent damage to the heat shielding. Shortly after the voyage to the Moon began, Commander Frank Borman took a sleeping pill, which is believed to have made him sick. He repeatedly vomited and was subject to diarrhea, much of which ended up floating around the cabin. The final problem arose when James Lovell accidentally erased data from the computer, causing it to think it was at the same position as the beginning of the flight. The crew had to manually enter data in order to adjust its position for reentry. Despite all these challenges, the mission of Apollo 8 was a success.

slide 4 of 6 Crew of the First Manned Moon Mission The first manned orbit of the moon mission was commanded by Frank Borman and piloted by James Lovell and William Anders. Borman and Lovell had both made previous trips into space, three and two times respectively. For Anders, this was the first time he was granted the right to voyage beyond the Earth. Only Lovell was lucky enough to get another chance at a moon mission, becoming the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. Unfortunately, he would never get a chance to touch down on the surface, as Apollo 13 faced technical issues and could not land. Ironically, the backup crew for Apollo 8 featured the famous astronauts who would themselves eventually become the first people to touch down on the lunar surface : Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Above left: Apollo 8 Crew. (Supplied by NASA; Public Domain; slide 5 of 6 Highlights of the Apollo 8 Mission The first manned orbit of the moon was a rousing success for NASA and captured the attention of the country in the midst of turmoil. The crew became the first humans to pass through the radiation belt surrounding the planet, an occurrence which was of particular interest to scientists.

They also were the first people to leave LEO and also peer on the dark side of the moon with human eyes. Once they returned to the safety of Earth, they were named Time magazine's “Persons of the Year," highlighting the end of a year that saw an increase in political dissent from the war in Vietnam and general attacks on the American psyche. slide 6 of 6 Apollo 8: First Around the Moon Apollo 8: First Around the Moon By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | August 29, 2012 01:31pm ET MORE The Apollo 8 astronauts broadcast never-before views of the Earth and moon on December 24, 1968. Credit: NASA Apollo 8, the second manned mission of the Apollo program, took astronauts farther than anyone had gone before and showed humanity just how small and special our planet is. During their seven-day flight in December 1968, the crew became the first people to orbit another world. Awed by the sight of Earth rising over the moon's horizon, they took one of the most iconic photographs in history. This historic mission happened through a relatively last-minute decision on the part of NASA management.

Initial plans were to test the lunar and command module components of the Apollo spacecraft first before striking out for the moon. But NASA management heard rumors that the Russians were planning a crewed mission to lunar orbit. After consultation with engineers and the astronauts, NASA did a risky do-se-do and decided to send the Apollo 8 command module alone around the moon, without a lunar module backup if something were to go wrong. Jim Lovell, Bill Anders and Frank Borman, crew of Apollo 8. Credit: NASA The astronauts Spacecraft commander Frank Borman and crew member Jim Lovell were also crewmates on the Gemini 7 endurance mission. They spent nearly 14 days living together in a spacecraft about as big as a phone booth. Borman had also distinguished himself by serving on a review board investigating the Apollo 1 fatal fire in 1967. Bill Anders was a former fighter pilot in the Air Force. He had not flown in space before, but served as a backup crew member for Gemini 11. Across the Atlantic, and the lunar gulf The night before launch, aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh paid a visit to the Apollo 8 crew. "Lucky Lindy" became the first man to solo the Atlantic41 years before.

When chatting with the astronauts, Lindbergh asked how much fuel they would need to get into space. When told the rocket would consume 20 tons a second, Lindbergh smiled and said, "In the first second of your flight tomorrow, you'll burn 10 times more fuel than I did all the way to Paris." Apollo 8's own journey across the Atlantic took only minutes after the launch on Dec. 21. They were the first astronauts to launch atop the Saturn V rocket . After settling into orbit around Earth, the crew did their final checks and received the "go" from NASA to do trans-lunar injection. This meant they were clear to fire their engines and point for the moon. [ Video: Leap to Lunar Orbit ] Just 18 hours after launch, Apollo 8 experienced a major problem: its commander got sick , vomiting and also experiencing diarrhea. Borman felt better after getting some sleep, but as a precaution the crew radioed his predicament to Earth on a private channel. It took a few hours before NASA heard what had happened, as it was difficult for the crew to alert officials to listen without tipping off the public. But when the agency did, it was much concerned.

Flight surgeon Chuck Berry consulted with Borman and senior NASA management to determine if the mission should be altered to bring the astronauts back home as quickly as possible. But after hearing Borman was better, they cautiously gave the thumbs-up to continue. Christmas Eve at the moon Placing the Apollo spacecraft in orbit was not an easy task, and compounding the difficulty, the engine "burn" to put it in the right spot had to happen while the spacecraft was out of contact with Earth, on the far side of the moon. But they made it. The astronauts stared at awe at the landscape below. (At least, Lovell and Anders did, while Borman was reportedly more concerned about setting themselves up to head home.) But one thing that did take them all by surprise was the majesty of the Earth rising above the moon. Anders decided to take an unscheduled photo op. The resulting Earthrise photo , showing our delicate planet surrounded by blackness, is credited as a major impetus for the environmental movement . On Christmas Eve, the crew had the chance to share their impressions with others via a public broadcast .

Borman called the moon a "vast, lonely, forbidding type of existence," while Lovell paid tribute to the Earth's "grand ovation to the vastness of space." Then the crew read Genesis, reciting the Biblical story of how Earth came to be: All that was left now was to come home. Mission controllers waited anxiously Christmas morning as the crew turned their engine on again on the far side of the moon. As they re-emerged, Lovell called out, "Please be informed there is a Santa Claus," signalling they were headed back to Earth. The crew landed successfully Dec. 28. It was a risk to bring Apollo 8 so far so fast, but the audaciousness of NASA captured the world's attention . The success of the mission showed the world it was possible to bring people to the moon. Now, NASA just had to figure out how to help astronauts to the surface. Related: Apollo 8 - Manned Lunar Orbit Video (1968) - YouTube Apollo 8 - Manned Lunar Orbit Video (1968) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content.

Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 20, 2015 Apollo 8 Moon Orbit Vintage Super 8 Castle Film 1907 Apollo 8, the second human spaceflight mission in the United States Apollo space program, was launched on December 21, 1968, and became the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the Earth's Moon, orbit it and return safely to Earth. The three-astronaut crew — Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders — became the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit, the first to see Earth as a whole planet, the first to directly see the far side of the Moon, and then the first to witness Earthrise. The 1968 mission, the third flight of the Saturn V rocket and that rocket's first manned launch, was also the first human spaceflight launch from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, located adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The mission was originally planned as Apollo 9, to be performed in early 1969 as the second test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the Lunar Module and the Command/Service Module in an elliptical medium Earth orbit. But when the Lunar Module proved unready to make its first test in a lower Earth orbit in December 1968, it was decided in August to fly Apollo 8 in December as a more ambitious lunar orbital flight without the Lunar Module. This meant Borman's crew was scheduled to fly two to three months sooner than originally planned, leaving them a shorter time for training and preparation, thus placing more demands than usual on their time and discipline. Apollo 8 took three days to travel to the Moon. It orbited ten times over the course of 20 hours, during which the crew made a Christmas Eve television broadcast where they read the first 10 verses from the Book of Genesis. At the time, the broadcast was the most watched TV program ever. Apollo 8's successful mission paved the way for Apollo 11 to fulfill U.S. President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.

The Apollo 8 astronauts returned to Earth on December 27, 1968, when their spacecraft splashed down in the Northern Pacific Ocean. The crew was named Time magazine's "Men of the Year" for 1968 upon their return. Category Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast The Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis. William Anders: "For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you". "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." Jim Lovell: "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." Frank Borman: "And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good." Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth." BBC ON THIS DAY | 24 | 1968: First astronauts orbit Moon About This Site | Text Only 1968: First astronauts orbit Moon The Apollo 8 spacecraft has taken its crew of three astronauts safely into orbit around the Moon, the first manned space mission to achieve the feat. The climax of the mission began at 0959 GMT, when Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders were about 78 miles (125 km) from the Moon. Right on schedule, the crew fired their rocket engine to send Apollo 8 into the first of 10 elliptical lunar orbits. The engine burned for just over four minutes, and then suddenly the avid audience of television-watchers on Earth had the first-ever eyewitness account of the lunar surface from astronaut James Lovell. "The moon is essentially grey," he said. "No colour.

Looks like plaster of Paris. Sort of a greyish beach sand." Lost contact Shortly afterwards, the spacecraft passed out of contact with mission control in Houston, travelling into the dark side of the Moon - never seen directly by humans before, as it always faces away from the Earth. There followed a tense 45 minutes in which radio communication was impossible - a drama which will be repeated on each circuit around the Moon. Once back in contact, Apollo 8 then fired another engine, sending it into circular orbit 69 miles (110 km) above the Moon's surface. About two and a half hours afterwards, the astronauts beamed back the first television pictures of what they were seeing. As the pictures flooded in, the astronauts broadcast the first words of Genesis, describing the creation of the world. They then signed out: "From the crew of Apollo 8, we pause with good night, good luck and merry Christmas and God bless all of you - all of you on the good earth." Bad food All three men appear to be in good spirits and health. They have been able to sleep and eat according to schedule, although the food, in plastic packets divided into small "bites", apparently tastes as bad as it looks.

One of Captain Lovell's first comments today was, "Happiness is bacon squares for breakfast." They were told by Houston control, "You can always bring them back if you have any left over." BBC - Solar System - Apollo 8 (pictures, video, facts & news) Apollo 8 paves the way Apollo 8 orbits the Moon as NASA prepares for a manned landing. Apollo 8 orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve in 1968 and temporarily lost contact with mission controllers when the spacecraft went behind the Moon. This mission was one of the final test flights before the 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing. About Apollo 8 Apollo 8, the second human spaceflight mission in the United States Apollo space program, was launched on December 21, 1968, and became the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the Earth's Moon, orbit it and return safely to Earth.

The three-astronaut crew — Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders — became the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit, the first to see Earth as a whole planet, the first to directly see the far side of the Moon, and then the first to witness Earthrise. The 1968 mission, the third flight of the Saturn V rocket and that rocket's first manned launch, was also the first human spaceflight launch from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, located adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The mission was originally planned as Apollo 9, to be performed in early 1969 as the second test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the Lunar Module and the Command/Service Module in an elliptical medium Earth orbit. But when the Lunar Module proved unready to make its first test in a lower Earth orbit in December 1968, it was decided in August to fly Apollo 8 in December as a more ambitious lunar orbital flight without the Lunar Module.

This meant Borman's crew was scheduled to fly two to three months sooner than originally planned, leaving them a shorter time for training and preparation, thus placing more demands than usual on their time and discipline. Apollo 8 took three days to travel to the Moon. It orbited ten times over the course of 20 hours, during which the crew made a Christmas Eve television broadcast where they read the first 10 verses from the Book of Genesis. At the time, the broadcast was the most watched TV program ever. Apollo 8's successful mission paved the way for Apollo 11 to fulfill U.S. President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. The Apollo 8 astronauts returned to Earth on December 27, 1968, when their spacecraft splashed down in the Northern Pacific Ocean. The crew was named Time magazine's "Men of the Year" for 1968 upon their return.

Question: In 1968, which was the first manned lunar orbiting mission?
Answer: APOLLO 8